The research question that needs to be answered in the study is what is the correlation between depression and substance abuse among college students?
The main reason for doing this research is to explore the correlation of depression and substance abuse among college students. College students are under a lot of stress that causes them to have depressive symptoms. Some of them deal with these symptoms by using drugs and alcohol. Numerous studies indicate that there is a correlation between depression and substance abuse among college students. It is believed that going to college brings about positive outcomes. However, life as a college student has a lot of challenges and pressure from various people. This fact causes them to be very stressed in that they have difficulties in coping thus many have ended up engage in risky behaviors. Reports have shown that many students have been diagnosed with depression while some deal with this problem by using substance abuse (Tartakovsky, 2015). The relationship between depression and addiction has caused many to be curious about it. The curiosity has prompted the researcher to investigate the problem. The research design to be used in the investigation will be the qualitative and quantitative research methodology. The participants of the study will be fifty students from different backgrounds, race, and religion. it is important for ten people closest to the students such as supervisors teachers and parents to be involved in the research. The students should also be majoring in various courses. This diversity will enable to the researcher to find out if the depression and substance abuse are being used by people doing certain courses or because of the background.
It is important to know the definition of the terms used in the research. An example is depression which is defined as a mood disorder that affects how people behave, feel and think. Substance abuse is stated to be a risky behavior in which a person becomes dependent on drugs by consuming it at a patterned method that is harmful to a person. Risky behaviors can be described as a lifestyle activity that could cause injury or illness to a person. While suicide is defined as an act in which a person takes their life. These terms are very useful for the study.
Many problems could occur when conducting the research such as participants providing false information. This information will distort the findings of the research. At times, some participants will refuse to continue with the investigation to the end. The budget for the study is very important. However, there comes a time when the researcher will be required to spend more money. Therefore, if the budget is small, it could interfere with the whole study.
Studies indicate that depression and anxiety are one of the prevalent problems among college students. Therefore, it can be considered to be an epidemic. This problem is brought on by lack of sleep, lack of exercise and poor eating habits. When a student goes to college, there are many changes that they experience. First of all, they leave their homes where their parents sheltered them. They had everything they could need and whenever they had problems their parents or guardians would solve it. However, in college, it is a new territory that has to be explored. The student is own their own, and they have to cope with life or solve their problems without the help of their parents. It has been discovered that depression is one of the core reasons why many students drop out of college or commit suicide (Tartakovsky, 2015).
Statistics shows that one out of four students suffers from one form of mental illness such as depression. Research indicates that forty-four percent of college students have shown signs and symptoms of depression. About seventy-five percent of students do not report about their mental problems. They let their problems to progress to a point where they cannot be helped in time. These cases prompt the students to commit suicide or drop out of school (Galaif, 2006, p.1463).
During college years, students have new experiences such as lifestyle, culture and ways of thinking. This experience can become hard for them in that they will not be able to cope. In such instances, the students are more than likely to be depressed. To deal with life, they may indulge in substance abuse.
Another stressor for college students is academics. In college no one will confront a student to study; however, there are a lot of expectations from teachers and parents. There are also a lot of competition in class; therefore, students are pressured into working hard. This pressure can be useful for others; however, it will be hard for others. Research shows that the pressures of academics cause them to rely on prescription drugs or other forms of illicit drugs (Galaif, 2006, p.1464).
There are different substance abuse used by students for various reasons. According to most research, the use of illegal drugs has been caused by depressive behaviors among college students. The depression can be observed to have been brought on by stressful situations and lifestyle of the students. Some of the commonly used substance abuse drugs are heroin, ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs and alcohol (Califano, 2007).
There have been many reports that college students are using prescription drugs without having any medical condition. According to research that was conducted in 2012 by Join Together Staff, found out that students misusing prescription drugs are at a high risk of getting depression or having suicidal thoughts (Join Together Staff, 2012). The participants of the research were 26, 600 students. The students were asked about their prescription drug use and whether they were for non-medical purposes. Researchers also asked them about their mental health symptoms since they began using the drugs. The findings of the research show that thirteen percent of the students agreed that they were using prescription drugs without having medical conditions. These students also reported having feelings of hopelessness, sadness and some had suicidal thoughts. All these facts indicate that the students had all the symptoms of depression. The researchers were able to note that women were the ones who had more depression symptoms and addiction to prescription drugs. In looking at the research, one can be able to see that there is a link or a relation between depression and substance abuse which in this case are the prescription drugs (FELIZ, 2014).
It is a social norm for college students to engage in drinking alcohol. It can be stated that most college students are binge drinkers. Binge drinking has a lot of problems associated with it. For the students, they tend to forget about their studies thereby their grades fall. There have been some reports that some students whom before going to college were getting straight A’s in their examinations. However, after attending college, their grades began to drop drastically especially after starting to drink alcohol. This fact will affect their future in that they could end up being college dropouts. Other problems associated with binge drinking are that the students could end up alcohol addicts, get cirrhosis of the liver, involve in car accidents and get heart diseases. Reports indicate that thousands of students in colleges today will end up dying out of alcohol related causes (Califano, 2007).
The research also shows that most students end up getting depression because of their declining grades, alcohol addiction and pressure from parents and teachers for them to study. In other cases, college students drink alcohol for the sole purpose of forgetting their problems or coping with life in college. It is important for people to understand how specific depressive symptoms relate to the problems of drinking to pave the way for early intervention to take place (Califano, 2007).
Research shows that many students in colleges are using marijuana to cope with life in school and also to be able to study (Wechsler, 2003). There is a belief that marijuana will cause the students to study for long hours. This fact can be observed especially during the time of exams. The numbers of students using the drug keep increasing with time. This fact has caused the government and college staff to be worried about the health of the students. Some studies have indicated that there is a link between depression and marijuana use. Time on the campus is stressful for the students; therefore, they start getting depressive symptoms such as anxiety. Anxiety is stated to be one of the most common symptoms being experienced by college students (Wechsler, 2003, p.17).
The symptoms is brought on by the challenges being experienced in the school. Peer pressure is very common among college students in that they influence one another in a negative manner. If a person is a social outcast, there is a possibility that life will become tough. Students tend to have the habit of secluding people whom they think are an outcast. The reason is stemmed from the fact that they do not want to be associated with people who will cause their social life to diminish. In life, it is important to have a sense of belonging with other human beings. According to research conducted in 2013, among college students, more than ten million are using drugs. The study proved that amongst all the illicit drugs used by youths 80.6 percent of the users are consuming marijuana. Marijuana use has been indicated to be used higher than smoking cigarettes. This problem began in the 1980s and kept increasing with the passing of time (Wechsler, 2003, p.18).
Research conducted by the Michigan University has discovered that college students have used one illicit drug in their lives. However, over ten percent are claimed to have used a combination of more than one illegal drugs. The sample of this research was based on 1000 nationwide students from various universities. Most of these research have been able to link marijuana use with depression. The linkage comes from the fact that the students are having a hard time in studying and coping with life in college. There are many social events in college in which most students have to attend. Therefore, in this partying occasions, the students are introduced to illicit drugs. Peer pressure causes them to try one drug or another. The pressure from the peers causes the students to start having depressive symptoms that cause them to indulge in drug use. However, through their depression, some of the students will become dependent on marijuana in that they cannot last a day without using the drugs. This fact causes them to become addicted to the drugs (FELIZ, 2014).
The second most used illicit drugs among college students apart from marijuana is amphetamine Adderall. Students are under a lot of pressure when it comes to their studies. The stress comes from the fact that they are required to perform regardless of what circumstances. Research shows that thirteen percent of the illicit drugs being used by students is Adderall (Tartakovsky, 2015). Adderall is stated to be a psycho-stimulant drug that is being used illegally for non-medical use. The students want the help of the drugs for them to be able to concentrate on their studies. However, some of the research indicate that Adderall has been linked to depressive disorders. The use of nonmedical Adderall has its side effects that affect the mental health of the individual. The drug will cause the students to lose sleep; therefore, they will be able to read their books. However, due to lack of sleep, it will cause the students to lose concentration and will cause them to have mood disorders. Some of the students tend to have mood swings where sometimes they are happy while other times they are mad at everyone. Another depressive symptom that has been witnessed by students using Adderall is anxiety attacks. The fact that the students lack sleep, and the stimulant effect of the drugs will cause the students to feel abnormal. Therefore, they will become depressed and thus their education life could be affected in a negative manner (Tartakovsky, 2015).
There has been a worldwide concern over the fact that college students are using heroin. Research conducted in 2013, shows that there has been an 8.8 percent increase of students using heroin (Tartakovsky, 2015). The number of users has reduced, but the effects of the drugs are still haunting them in their present lives. The drug has adverse effects for the students such as causing them to have depressive thoughts and acts. The depressive thoughts cause the students to abandon their education and become addicts. Many researchers believe that heroin is one of the worst forms of illicit drugs because it affects the life and health of the user (Tartakovsky, 2015).
Research methodology
The researcher will use both qualitative and quantitative research methodology. These two methods will enable the researcher to be able to collect data and also find results from previous investigations conducted.
Qualitative research methodology
This types of research methodology employ different academic disciplines and information to come up with the results. The methodology will have an in-depth analysis of human behavior especially regarding the correlation of depression and substance abuse among college students. Therefore, while using this method the researcher will be able to observe and analyze other academic works that talks about the subject. While looking at this works, it will enable them to make a complete analysis of the findings of other studies (Silverman, 2011).
Quantitative research methodology
This type of the investigation method ensures that a researcher can collect empirical data. There are many ways to employ this approach such as using hypothesis and mathematical model. The findings of the information are examined, analyzed and then finally they are interpreted. This fact will provide the researcher with all the information they require about the correlation of depression and substance abuse among college students (Silverman, 2011).
Participants
The researcher will randomly select fifty college students with known history of having depression and substance abuse. Most of the students are of ages between 18 to 23 years. The other ten participants will be the dorm supervisors, parents, and educators. These people will be able to provide the researcher with information about how the students began to change after entering college. The duration of the research will be three months. During this three months, the researcher should be able to get all the information and data needed for the study.
Confidentiality
It is important for the researcher to ensure the participants that their confidentiality will be maintained. People who are abusing drugs normally do not like people knowing about their drug problem. Some students do not want people knowing about their mental problems most especially depression. College students have a stigma for people with depression. This fact causes people with depression to fear anyone knowing about their disorder. Taking into account this information is important for the researcher to assure them that no one will know about their identity. So as to avoid any lawsuits the researcher should ensure that all the participants in the study have signed consent letters. This fact is done to allow the participants to be part of the research.
Design and procedure
The data for the investigation will be collected using questionnaires. Both the students and the staff of the college will be assessed through interviews where they would be grouped into two and asked questions to do with depression and substance abuse. The first group called A will be for the students. The second group labeled B will come from the people close to the students. By doing this procedure it will enable the researcher to obtain direct information that has not been distorted by the participants.
Measures
The assessment of the participants will be measured by using The Structured-Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV. When using this method, it enables the researcher to confirm that the students had depressive symptoms. This fact will help the researcher to find out whether the participants depressive symptoms caused them to start using substance abuse (American Psychiatric Association, 2006).
Conclusion
Numerous research indicates that there is a correlation between depression and drug abuse among college students. The relation is based on the amount of stressful situation that college students go through in life. The stressors are based on academics, new culture, independence and change of environment. According to most research conducted, they indicate that the commonly used illicit drugs are cocaine, heroin, amphetamine Adderall, marijuana, ecstasy, and alcohol (Galaif, 2006, p.1463). Marijuana is the most used drug among college students. It is used to help students relax from their stressful life. Research shows that there is a link between marijuana use and depression. The stressful problems in college cause the students to start getting depressive symptoms. These symptoms cause the students to start indulging in marijuana use. It can also be observed that stressful situations in college led to depressive symptoms. Depression caused the students to start using drugs. Alcoholism is very common in colleges. This fact can be stated to be a social norm in which nearly all students indulge in it. There are many social events in college where there is abundance alcohol. This fact causes many students to be introduced to alcohol.
Addiction of alcohol has brought on depressive symptoms among the students. The research design to be used is the qualitative and quantitative research methodology. The two methods will enable the researcher to be able to collect data and also observe other people’s studies. The participants will be fifty students of ages between 18 to 23 years. The students should have a history of depression and substance abuse. It is also important for the researcher to question the people closest to the participants. This fact will enable them to get background information on the students. The assessment of the participants will be done through the structured clinical interview to confirm that the students have depressive symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2006).
Reference
American Psychiatric Association (2006). DSM-IV-TR, Section II, Washington, DC
Califano, J. A. (2007, May 28). WASTING THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST: ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES. Retrieved from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse: http://www.centeronaddiction.org/newsroom/op-eds/wasting-best-and-brightest-alcohol-and-drug-abuse-college-campuses
FELIZ, J. (2014, November 13). New Survey: Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Stimulants Becoming Normalized Behavior Among College Students, Young Adults. Retrieved from http://www.drugfree.org/newsroom/adhd-survey-2014
Galaif, E. R. (2006). Suicidality, depression, and substance abuse in adolescence. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 1462-1467.
Join Together Staff. (2012). Study Links Prescription Drug Abuse and Depression, Suicidal Thoughts in College Students. Partnership of drug free kids.
Silverman, D. (2011). Qualitative Research: Issues of Theory, Method and Practice. London: Sage Publications.
Tartakovsky, M. (2015). Depression and Anxiety Among College Students. PsychCentral.
Wechsler, H. (2003). Trends in Marijuana and Other Illicit Drug Use Among College Students: Results From 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study Surveys: 1993–2001. Journal of American College Health, 17-24.
